Operation Foward

Obeying and proceeding with God's mission requires that His people move forward.  

• Noah “Go into the ark…” (Gen 7:1)
• Abraham “Go forth… to the land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1-2)
• Moses “tell the children of Israel to go forward" (Ex. 14:15)

Likewise Jesus told his followers:

• “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15). 

When God gives His people a directive, there is no scriptural precedent where He tells them to back down from the mission.  His mission then should never be impeded by human circumstances.  Because we believe this with all of our hearts, and finding ourselves in the midst of tremendous financial constrains, we, at Spanish World Ministries, with great dependence on the Lord, have begun an ongoing project that we have designated as  "Operation Forward",  asking Him to raise many others that will go with us to participate in the proclamation of His Word to many people. 


Every Saturday and Sunday evening, many in Cuba are able to hear our program through Transworld Radio.  Ernesto wrote to our address in Mexico, telling us that he had received Christ as Savior. He also requested literature for his spiritual growth. Several months after our missionary in Mexico sent some materials to him, Mayelin, our missionary in Cuba, went to visit him.  At his house she was told that he had passed away.  Thank God that he had heard the Gospel and responded!  The visit was an opportunity for our missionary to present the Gospel to his sister, who although did not make a profession of faith, has now heard the message and we pray that eventually will respond as Mayelin visits her again.  

 After hearing our program, Victor Peralta, living in a remote area of Honduras, contacted our missionary Melvin Zelaya asking for a copy of the message that he had heard on the radio.  It just so happened that Melvin was on his way to that area to find some radio stations, and was able to make a detour to visit the man.  Victor said that he had been involved in leadership in several labor unions, and that years ago he had made a profession of faith promising to serve God.  But as time passed, he forgot his promise, and never attended any church.  Then, he heard our broadcast.  Standing by the radio, he prayed and committed his life to the Lord.   Surprised by Melvin's visit, he told him how thankful he was for having heard our program.  He is now attending a church, and we pray that his testimony in the community might be used of God to influence others with the Gospel.  

Although there is a good number of evangelical churches in Guatemala, in many places the syncretism of the traditional religion and the ancient Mayan customs have a great deal of influence.  “Machimon” is a cigar smoking, liquor drinking, wooden idol (demon) whose main “power” is to fulfill the wishes and prayers of all those who pledge their allegiance to him. People in several regions have a statue of the idol which is cared for by one of the families in a given town.  The region of Chimaltenango is no exception, but as our missionary took a trip to that area in search of radio stations, three of them immediately agreed to air our programs.  The area has a population of 250,000, and our prayer is that many of them will hear the truth of the Gospel, and might be liberated from the slavery and darkness of idolatry.   

In Perú, a doctor who attends the same church as our missionary René Hurtado is fully convinced that the radio programs can reach people who desperately need to hear the Gospel.  That is why, although this doctor doesn’t own a radio station, he asked René for CD’s to share the message of hope with people at the hospital where he works.  One of those who received a CD was Miguel, a young man struggling with cancer.   A few days later, our missionary visited Miguel and explained in detail what the Bible says about man’s eternal destiny. For one hour Miguel, the nurses and a doctor that were there, listened to the Gospel. At the end, Miguel accepted the Lord as his personal savior, and a few days later went into the Lord's presence. Some of the nurses have asked Rene Hurtado to share with them more about the Gospel.  Praise the Lord for opening these doors for ministry! 

Hearing of cases like those above, we cannot imagine God wanting to limit our ministry and direct us to suspend the ministry, and in effect, take a step backward.  Rather as responsible stewards of God's mission, we firmly believe that He wants us to continually go FORWARD with the proclamation of His Word.  Cuba, Honduras, Guatemala and Paraguay are only four of the 23 countries where our broadcasts are heard.   We do not take His mission lightly, and we rejoice in His provision through those who sustain us with their prayers and financial gifts.

Come with us, and let us go Forward!
for the glory of God in Christ, and the salvation of souls!